Article 1 :

Participation in the Bois-Colombes Chess Master 2025 implies full acceptance of these regulations and compliance with the health protocol in effect at the date of the tournament and posted at the venue.

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Article 2 : tournaments

The Bois-Colombes Chess Master is composed of three 9-round tournaments:

• Open A: for players rated 2000 or above (FIDE-rated, norm tournaments possible: GM, IM, WGM, WIM).
• Open B: for players rated between 1700 and 2000.
• Open C: for players rated 1700 or below.

Ratings taken into account are those valid on the day of the tournament. The time control is 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move one. All tournaments are rated and count toward the February 2026 FIDE standard list.

All players must hold a valid A-license from the French Chess Federation (FFE) or be affiliated with another federation recognized by FIDE (with a FIDE ID).

Unrated players will be assigned a provisional Elo rating based on their age category. No adjustments will be made later.

Requests for exceptions to play in a higher section must be made in writing to the organizers by 5 December 2025. Responses will be provided by 14 December 2025.

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Article 3 : dates, venue and schedule

Venue: Complexe Albert-Smirlian, 11 avenue Renée, 92270 Bois-Colombes.

Round Schedule for All Tournaments:

• Round 1: Friday, December 26 at 12:00
• Round 2: Friday, December 26 at 17:30
• Round 3: Saturday, December 27 at 10:00
• Round 4: Saturday, December 27 at 15:30
• Round 5: Sunday, December 28 at 10:00
• Round 6: Sunday, December 28 at 15:30
• Round 7: Monday, December 29 at 10:00
• Round 8: Monday, December 29 at 15:30
• Round 9: Tuesday, December 30 at 10:00
• Prize Ceremony: Tuesday, December 30 at 16:00

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Article 4 : rules of play

F.I.D.E rules in effect at the tournament start date apply.

Draw offers are allowed per FIDE regulations. Unfought draws may result in double forfeits.

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Article 5 : results and corrections

Players are responsible for checking that their results are correctly recorded. Any errors must be reported to the arbiter before the pairings for the second subsequent round (N+2) are published. Corrections after this deadline will only be used for rating calculation purposes.

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Article 6 : pairings

6.1 – Pairings will be made using the Swiss system with the PAPI software (version 3.3.7), as provided by the FFE.

Only players who have paid and validated their licenses before 11:30 AM on Friday, December 26 will be paired for Round 1.

6.2 – Provisional pairings: – Odd rounds: final by 22:00 – Even rounds: final by 15:00 (Round 2: by 17:00)

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Article 7 : scoring and tiebreaks

Win: 1 point, Draw: 0.5 point, Loss: 0 point – Tiebreaks: Truncated Buchholz (excluding two lowest-rated opponents), then Kashdan system (favoring most wins)

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Article 8 : absences, forfeits and byes

layers must inform the arbiter in advance of any absence. Declared absences cannot be reversed. – BYEs: – Open A: 1 BYE allowed in the first 6 rounds – Opens B and C: 2 BYEs allowed in the first 6 rounds – BYEs earn 0.5 points and must be explicitly requested. – No BYEs allowed from Round 7 onward.

• A paired player arriving more than 60 minutes late forfeits the game.

• Two forfeits (consecutive or not) lead to exclusion.

• Unjustified forfeits are reported to the FFE or relevant federation.

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Article 9 : appeals committee

A 5-member Appeals Committee is formed during Round 1. It includes one organizer, one arbiter (not the one involved in the decision), and three players.

To appeal, players must follow the arbiter’s instructions, notify their intent, and submit a written appeal within 30 minutes of the game’s end.

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Article 10 : registration

Maximum: 600 participants – GMs, IMs, members of the French Youth Elite Team, and ICCF GMs affiliated with FFE are exempt from entry fees – Registration must be completed at least 48h before the check-in deadline – Entry fees must be paid in advance: details at https://www.bccm-bois-colombes-echecs.com – On-site registration possible within availability

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Article 11 : check-in

All players must check in on-site before 11:30 AM on Friday, December 26. Presence is required at 11:30 for Round 1 to begin at 12:00.

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Article 12 : prix

Total prize fund: €8,000 guaranteed – First prize in Open A guaranteed at €1,500 – Prizes are non-cumulative. Players receive the highest eligible prize. – General prizes may be split using the Hort system (minimum prize: €80) – Prize hierarchy: Elo category > Age category > First female > First Bois-Colombes club member – Only players present at the closing ceremony and who played the final round are eligible to receive prizes

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Article 13 : player conduct

Conduct must align with the FFE Charter of Chess Players – Playing area = game hall; competition area includes restrooms, smoking area, and refreshment counter – Players must not leave the venue without arbiter permission during games – No analysis in the venue (dedicated room available) – Eating (except light snacks), vaping, smoking, and alcohol are forbidden in the playing area – Minors remain under the responsibility of their guardians at all times

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Article 14 : image and audio rights

By registering, players (or guardians for minors) authorize the tournament to use their image and voice for promotional purposes related to this and future editions. Refusal must be expressed by email: contact@bois-colombes-echecs.com

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Article 15 : electronic devices

Phones, smartwatches, and other devices are prohibited in the playing area unless authorized by the arbiter – Phones must be switched off and stored in the player’s bag throughout the game – Any sound (ringtone, vibration, alarm) = immediate loss – Repeated offense = possible exclusion from tournament – A free deposit service is available at the venue – Using a device = loss by forfeit; opponent declared winner.

All participants agree to abide by these regulations.